Deborah's Gift ~

I have a dear friend, Deborah, and she knows how much I love food. Especially bread pudding. We decided to get together for a meal over at her house recently and she surprised me with this delicacy. Oh.my. It is almost, if not as good, as Elli Bistro's daily bread pudding. I say daily, for they change their recipe on a daily basis. I've never gone there that I didn't swoon at the first bite. You might get a fudge laden bread pudding or a fruit filled bread pudding or a white chocolate bread pudding. I never thought I'd like fruit IN mine until I had theirs. NOW, if it's a day when the waiter (we like Nemo) tells us that there will be raisins in it, I go home without dessert. Do NOT destroy my BP with raisins.

 

I mentioned this on my blog, "Losing Forty" and had several comments on Facebook for the recipe. Deborah made it that one time and gave me the recipe. I think she got it from a Kraft site and I think she made hers with French bread cubes instead of white bread. (She's like that. French toast at her house is made with real French toast and another friend and I always fight over who gets the last piece! It's that good. Having thick toast just soaks up that custard mixture so much better than my typical slap a piece of white bread back and front in a milk/egg mixture and fry til browned. No, no, no.  Deborah bakes hers. I think. I don't remember hers ever having an eggy edge like mine.)

 

Head over to my other blog (that I am NOT being faithful with and losing weight!) and get this recipe! It's even good cold.

If you're ever in Gulf Shores, go to Pelican Place on Hwy 59. Elli Bistro's on the corner facing the theatres. You won't be sorry. Lunch menus are SO much cheaper than dinner, but you'll find that a common thing in the majority of the eateries here. Ginny Lane at The Wharf? You can choose between 8 meals for $8, includes drink, OR choose from their 5 meals for $5.95, you buy your drink. Or drink free water! Since this is a sister company to EB's you can get the bread pudding! Ginny Lane's only has the white chocolate every day and it's $6, with a size that would easily feed four. There's also seating outside on pretty days. The ambiance is casually different than Elli's but they treat you the same at Elli's and you go away happy.

My favorite dish at both places?! The blackened tilapia with rice, string beans and a light white sauce of some sort over it. I never grow tired of it. Never. John chooses something different each time and he's never complained. Which says something about EB and GL. When you go, tell me what you like best!

Being retired and living here, it's great to have an awesome lunch at less than fast food prices and be full enough that you only want a bowl of cereal for dinner. I'm learning things from the snowbirds! There are a few that don't. Unless they've changed recently, The Original Oyster House doesn't have a lunch menu nor does Tacky Jack's or Lulu's. There's always hope they'll get one or have one already!

 

PS ~ For those of you that love Tacky Jack's? Head down Ft. Morgan Road until you get almost to the end. You'll see a small marina and what my daughters would call 'a dive'. It's one of the original Tacky Jack's and you'll see sights like this. Why? Because it sits on the bay. Not a canal. Of course, it's quieter, laid back, no loud music, but the food is the same. Might not have as many choices, but it's our personal favorite. Just sayin'